Chapter Twenty-Nine: The End

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners.  The original character and plot are the property of the author.  The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family.  When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels?  Will love blossom?  *No evil Shane* 

Warning:  This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations.  Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

Pairing: Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

Chapter Twenty-Nine

 

“One tiny moment, a millisecond…no pain.” 

“My daughter doesn’t deserve to die like this,” Carol yelled, fresh tears streaming down her face as she looked to her husband who still did nothing to help. 

“Jesus Christ, he’s really gonna kill us.  We’re really gonna die.”  I whispered, turning my face away from the suicidal doctor. 

Shane turned me away, pulling me close to his chest as I sobbed.  He kissed my head tenderly, cooing into my ear.  “No baby, nobody’s gonna die.  Shuhh.” 

“Wouldn’t it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?”

Suddenly, Shane’s body tensed beneath my fingers, a growl building in his chest and I saw more than heard him pump a shell into the barrel of his shot gun.  He broke away from me and charged forward.

“Shane no!”  Ricky yelled, stepping forward to block Shane. 

“Out of the way, Rick!”  Shane demanded, pushing past my brother and raising his loaded shotgun to Jenner’s head.  “Open that door, or I’m gonna blow your head off!  Do you hear me?!

Ricky tried again, rushing forward to back Shane off.  Lori was screaming at Shane to listen to him and then began screaming at me to do something. 

“He dies…we all die.”  Ricky said calmly. 

“Arrrggghhhh!” 

The yell was one full of rage and hurt.  It was terrifying to see the man I loved so out of control.  He wasn’t acting rashly anymore…I understood that, but he was trying to protect his family, perhaps in the only way he knew how.  As scary as it was to see him point that gun at another human being…nothing horrified me more than the shot that rang out not a moment later. 

“Shane!”  I screamed, waiting for the moment Jenner’s brain matter would connect with the wall behind him…it never did.  He had shot the computer next to Jenner.

My brother, scared and pale snatched the gun from Shane’s hand, smacking him across the face with the stock and knocking him to the ground. 

“Ricky—

“Are you done now?”  Rick asked, pointing a finger in Shane’s face.  “Are you done?” 

“Ricky!”  I yelled again, smacking him across the face and pushing him aside. 

“Yeah, I guess we all are.”  Shane sneered as I helped him to his feet, running my finger along the harsh bruise already maturing on his left cheekbone.  He pulled me to him roughly, his arms wrapping around my waist as if he were scared I would disappear before his very eyes. 

“I think you’re lying.”  Rick said suddenly, still holding his stinging cheek as he turned to face Jenner. 

“What?” He replied looking confused and surprised. 

“You’re lying about hope.”  My brother said.  “If that were true, you’d have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out.  You chose the hard path.  Why?”

Jenner shook his head, turning his eyes down downward.  “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter.  It always matters.” Ricky argued.  “You stayed when the others ran.  Why?” 

“Not because I wanted to.  I made a promise…to her.  My wife.”  Jenner said, smiling sadly at me.  “You really do remind me so much of her.”

“Test subject 19 was your wife?” I asked, not really surprised by this revelation.  I knew in when he explained how the infection spread that the TS was someone very close to him. 

“She begged me to keep going as long as I could.”  Jenner commented softly, taking a step towards me, “How could I say no?”  His hand was raised as he took another step looking like he wanted to caress my cheek, but I was pulled backwards. 

Pulling forward a little, I pled my case.  “Your wife didn’t have a choice.  You do.  And that’s all we want.  It’s all I want.  A choice…A chance.” 

Rick stepped up shoulder to shoulder with me.  “Let us keep trying as long as we can?”

Jenner sighed, stepping forward despite Shane’s warning and putting both of his hands on my shoulders.  “Topsides locked down.  I can’t open those.”

“Thank you for letting me see your face again, if only just this once.”  He leaned forward, his head angled down and for the moment I was glad Ricky had taken the gun from Shane’s hands, because Jenner was no longer speaking to me. 

“What was her name?”  I asked, not pushing him away.

“Candace.  Her name was Candace.”  And with that he lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead before backing away and running his card through the keypad and unlocking the doors. 

“Come on.  Lori, Carl…let’s go!”  I yelled at them, grabbing Lori by the arm and rushing to the doorway.

In passing, I saw Jenner lay a hand on Shane’s shoulder, whispering something too low for me to hear, but I did catch Jacqui and Andrea say that they were staying.  I wasn’t listening anymore; I was too busy getting my own family out. 

“Get them doors open!”  I heard Daryl yell as we approached the glass doors at the entrance.  Those same glass doors that we thought were our saving grace just might be the death of us now. 

“The glass won’t break!”  I heard Sophia yelled, her father panting and holding onto his knees just feet from her…tears streaming down his fat face. 

“Get off your ass and help your family!”  I screamed at him as Shane blew passed me, shotgun in hand and yelled “Get back!” 

He unloaded several rounds on the glass but it only ricocheted. 

“It’s bulletproof!”  He exclaimed, hanging his head. 

“Rick,” Carol said, digging through her bag.  “I think I have something that might help.”  She pulled a grenade out and handed it to my brother.  “When I washed you uniform, I found this in your pocket.” 

Ricky eyes were wide, looking at the woman with a dumfounded and hopeful grin. 

“Birdie, get down!”  Shane yelled as Rick rushed forward, the grenade launching from his hand.  I took cover, throwing myself against Lori and Carl, both of us shielding him from any fragments of the blast. 

And then we were running again.  Trusty barked, running at my side as we dodged walker after walker, shooting some and outmaneuvering others until we reached the safety in the cab of the large Semi. 

Shane was hauling himself into the driver seat when the explosion rocked the ground, and he threw himself down on the floorboard.  Trusty barked wildly, yipping and whining as the noise became deafening to even human ears. 

We sat up in unison—Shane and I—and watched with wide eyes as a mushroom cloud as large as a skyscraper.  I had never seen anything like it and I doubted I ever would again.  Shane pulled me to him, kissing my lips fiercely as we watched what the other ahead of us welcoming Dale and Andrea back.  Jacqui was dead. 

“I love you, Birdie…whatever happens from this point on…till the end, I love you.” 

“I love you, too.”  I told him, meaning it with all my heart as Shane put the truck into gear, and followed the convoy to wherever the road might lead.

The End

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners.  The original character and plot are the property of the author.  The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family.  When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels?  Will love blossom?  *No evil Shane* 

Warning:  This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations.  Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

Pairing: Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

Chapter Twenty-Eight

 

“We need to get to that basement, now.”  My brother stated, finally realizing that this was not the saving grace he had once thought it was.

“I’m going to pack,” I whispered against Shane’s peck.  There was no way in Hell I was staying here any longer than was required.  From the moment we stepped foot into this place I knew it was bad news…and I was Goddamn right! 

Shane nodded as he and my brother, along with T-dog prepared to go investigate. 

“Be careful,” I told him, popping up onto my toes to kiss his lips sweetly.  “Please be careful.” 

He nodded once, kissed my temple and then disappeared down a dark hallway with the rest of our men—well, excluding Dale and Glenn.  

~

When the power cut off a few minutes later, Lori and Carl met me in the hallway looking scared and panicked.  “Why is the air off?” 

“I don’t know,” I lied, hating to do it, but not really wanting to instigate widespread panic…telling Lori would do just that. 

As Jenner stormed passed us, nearly knocking me over, Daryl poked his head out of his room and demanded to know what was going on.  Jenner ignored him, merely grabbing the bottle of Soco out of his hands and preceded on his way down the hall. 

“Jenner?”  I questioned, scooting along behind him, Trusty right on my heels. 

“Energy use is being prioritized.”  He answered, not bothering to stop and explain.  Not that I needed him to.  I understood very well what was happening, now if I could have made my brother understand that we would have been well on our way down the highway by now.  “It’s not up to me anymore.  Zone 5 is shutting itself down.”

Stubborn ass!

Daryl came storming after us, shoving me behind him and getting in the doctor’s face.  “Hey man, I’m talkin’ to you!  What do ya mean “it’s shutting itself down?”  How can a building do anythin’?” 

“Goddamn computers,” I muttered exasperatedly in his ear. 

“You’d be surprised,” Jenner commented, his lips screwed up in a grin, like this was some huge joke.  Bastard; this wasn’t a laughing matter.  Was he suicidal? 

“Rick!”  Lori yelled as she and Carl were making a run to the front of the line when he and the others came into view. 

“Jenner, what’s happening?”  Ricky asked disappointment and irritation written all over his face as he gripped his wife and child to him. 

Shane came up behind me, pulling my back to his chest as he asked me in a whisper what was going on.  I had nothing to tell him that I hadn’t already. 

“It was the French.”  Jenner said suddenly as he came took another pull off the bottle of Soco and passed it back to a confused Daryl. 

“What?”  I asked, not understanding the out of the park comment Jenner just up and made. 

“The French,” Jenner repeated.  “They were the last ones to hold out, as far as I know anyway.  While our people were bolting out the door, they stayed in the labs till the end.” 

“Till the end?”  My brother asked, confusion also coloring his face. 

Jenner shrugged.  “They thought they were close to a solution.” 

“Yeah,” I said, suddenly annoyed with all of this small talk.  “What happened?”

The blonde smiled at me, almost as if he were somehow entertained by my temper.  “The same thing that’s happening here.” 

“Let me tell you somethin’ you son of a—

“Ta Hell with it, Shane, I don’t care anymore.  Lori, grab our things.  Everyone, get your stuff; we’re getting out of here…Now.” 

Shane looked down at me, a proud smile forming on his lips.  Well, he could be proud later, right now we had to help the others. 

“Alright everyone, you heard him, grab your shit!”  I yelled, trying to get the ball rolling.  They were still standing around watching the clock count down.  Come on people, there’s no New Year’s Kiss at the end of that countdown. 

Just as Glenn and a few others reached the doors, an alarm sounded and the doors sealed shut. 

“Did you just lock us in?”  Glenn yelled.  “He just locked us in!” 

My heart was thudding wildly in my chest as I tried to figure out a solution.  Why was Jenner doing this?  Could Jenner even help us anymore?  Why wouldn’t he have told us about this sooner? 

No matter what I thought of, only one thing kept ringing through my brain…we were trapped.  Then the only thing I could feel was anger.  This man had betrayed me…betrayed my family.  He was a threat. 

“Why would you do this?”  I screamed as Daryl wizzed by my head, his bottle of Soco raised in the air…the intent to strike Jenner with it clear. 

Shane and T-dog surged forward, trying to push Daryl back as he screamed profanities and threatened the doctor I had once felt sorry for.  It was obvious that most of the people standing here with me wanted to grab that bottle from Daryl and do the job themselves.  If glaring daggers at someone could actually kill them, well then Dr. Edwin Jenner would be nothing but a pile of ashes courtesy of one Lori Grimes…she looked ready to slaughter his ass. 

“What happens in 28 minutes?”  My brother asked, his chest heaving with anger and worry for his family. 

Jenner laughed a small humorless laugh.  “Do you know what this place is?  We protected the public from some very nasty stuff!”

Shane growled and took a step closer, daring the obviously smaller man to take a chance and swing on him.  I held no doubts that Shane would have taken him apart. 

“Jenner?”  I growled, taking a step around my husband and shoving myself right into his line of sight.  I was hoping that if all else failed, the resemblance I held to someone he was familiar with might make a difference.   

He sighed then, his shoulders slumping in defeat.  “In the event of a power failure in a terrorist attack, for example…H.I.T’s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out.” 

Gritting my teeth together, I bit out.  “Tell them so that they can understand you.” 

He sighed again.  “Vi, define H.I.T’s.”

“High Impulse Thermo baric Explosives: consist of a two stage aerosol ignition that produces a wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear.  The vacuum pressure affect ignites the oxygen between five thousand and six thousand degrees and is useful when the greatest loss of life and damage is desired.” 

“What does that mean?”  Carol cried, obviously understanding that it wasn’t anything good as she clutched her daughter to her chest.  Ed sat on a desk chair, looking at his feet…ready to give in and give up.  Like I said; he’s the worst kind of pig.

“It lights the air on fire,” I said, trying to hold myself upright and not collapse under the weight that we were really locked in here like caged animals. 

Jenner nodded, only sadness in his eyes as he looked at me.  It hit me then, the dread I had been feeling since we stepped foot into this place…it was him; Jenner.  He wasn’t a man anymore.  He was nothing more than a walking, talking shell…he was no more useful than a walker trying to eat you.  That bastard had tricked us when he said those doors wouldn’t open again.  It pissed me off! 

“No more pain,” he said softly, “An end to sorrow, grief…regret—

“And what if we don’t have regret, you coward?!  What if we’re just tryin’ to survive?!  Then what?  You still gonna lock us in here and kill us off like cattle because someone you loved died?!”  I screamed, grabbing the axe from Daryl’s hand and marching up to Jenner. 

“Open the damn door!”  I demanded, tears streaming down my face as I pointed the axe in his face.  “My nephew is not dyin’ like this!” 

“You know,” Jenner mused, looking nostalgic all over again.  “You reminded me so much of my wife.  You look and act just like her.” 

He pulled a photo out of his lab-coat pocket and I gasped when I saw it.  She very well could have been me.  She had blonde hair and she was older, but she could have been my twin sister she looked so closely related. 

“Out of my way!”  Shane yelled and suddenly the axe was grabbed from my hands and Daryl and Shane went to work, hacking away like they might get somewhere. 

Jenner turned to me then, his eyes fueled by despair.  “You should have left well enough alone, but I guess…in the same token, you’re too much like her; she couldn’t leave anything alone either.” 

“Easier for whom? You?”  I asked furiously. “Look Jenner, I’m very sorry your wife died…but I still have my family.  I just got married to the man I’d been in love with for 19 years and known for 30.  I’m not gonna just die like this!” 

“I’m doing this for all of you.  You know what it’s like out there—

“Yes,” I replied, my voice raising in pitch the angrier I got.  “But I also know what it’s like in here…it’s the same as space dementia.  You’re completely out of your fuckin’ mind!  Please, don’t kill us off like this.” 

“Can’t. Make. A. Dent.”  Shane panted as he lumbered near my back. 

Jenner smirked and I fought the urge to smash his face in.  “Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher.” 

“Well your head ain’t!”  Daryl yelled, lunging forward with his axe raised. 

Ricky and Shane luckily caught his arms before he could sustain any real damage, because I had a feeling, nothing short of Jenner’s will would get us out of here.  

“Take it easy.  Just back up…”  Ricky cooed, trying to get the furious man to calm down. 

Jenner nodded to my brother.  “You wanted this,” he vowed.  “Last night you said you knew it was only a matter of time before everybody you knew was dead.” 

“What?” Shane asked Rick, bewildered.  “After all your big talk?” 

“I had to keep hope alive, didn’t I?”  Ricky replied defensively. 

Growling and shoving Shane aside, I glared at my sentimental, idiot brother and the man who manipulated him.  “My brother was shit-faced drunk last night!  Don’t you dare have the audacity to act like he would want this for his boy!  For his wife!  For his twin sister!  Because he doesn’t!  And he never would!  You bastard!” 

“What part of “Everything is gone” don’t you understand?”  Andrea growled. 

Wrong time, bitch! 

“Listen here, Bitch.  I’ve tried to be understanding to your grief.  Believe it or not, I cared about Amy too.  But I don’t care about you…or any of your poor me bullshit!  If you want to stay here, then have at it.  But my brother, my nephew…my family, we have a right to try and survive, and not kill ourselves off because a coward says we should.” 

“This isn’t right,” Carol chimed in, “You can’t just keep us here!” 

I had news for Carol, that psycho could very well keep us here if he wanted.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners.  The original character and plot are the property of the author.  The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family.  When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels?  Will love blossom?  *No evil Shane* 

Warning:  This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations.  Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

Pairing: Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

Chapter Twenty-Seven

 

“You have no idea what this is, do you?”  I asked, the feeling of dread welling up from the pit of my stomach. 

Jenner turned to me, shrugging his shoulders.  “It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, and fungal.” 

Well that narrows it down, thank you. 

“The wrath of God.”  Jacqui added. 

“There is that,” Jenner agreed with a smirk. 

Personally, I didn’t like that answer.  Any of that other shit…we could survive against, but against the wrath of a deity…I wasn’t so sure.  I wasn’t foolish enough to believe I had lived a good enough life to be saved from a God’s anger while children lay burning from infection in the streets…  I wasn’t divine and I wasn’t devoted… sorry, I wasn’t buying that answer one bit.  We did this to ourselves and we would have to undo it or die. 

“Somebody must know something,” Andrea proclaimed and once again I found myself losing my patience with her.  What did she want to know…how it had started, the reason didn’t matter much to me anymore, I just wanted to keep my loved ones safe. 

“There might be some, like me,” Jenner said offhandedly, obviously tiring of having to explain himself. 

“But you don’t know?  How can you not know?”  Ricky urged, stepping towards Jenner.  He had that crazy look in his eye again and it worried me. 

“Everything went down.  Communication, directives…all of it.  I’ve been in the dark for almost a month now.”  Jenner explained, his eyes flickering up to me. 

“So, it’s not just here,” Andrea stated.  “There’s nothing left anywhere?  Nothing?  That’s what you’re really saying, right?” 

“Man,” Daryl grumped, somehow right beside me.  “I’m gonna get shit faced drunk again.”  I smack his shoulder, glaring at him and sent Carl over to his mother who looked ready to spit nails at the grubby hunter at my side. 

“You really want that kitchen knife in your gut, don’t you, Dixon?”  I asked, jutting my chin out to where my sister-in-law stood, glaring laser beams at Daryl. 

“Dr. Jenner,” Dale suddenly asked, “I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask—

I barely held in the urge to be petty and say “no you don’t”

“One more question, but…that clock, it’s counting down.  What happens at zero?” 

Good damn question.  In fact, before Dale said anything, I had paid attention at all to the clock counting backwards. 

“The basement generators…they run out of fuel.”  Jenner shrugged nonchalantly. 

“Um, then what?”  I asked, curious.  “How do we survive in here without air?” 

Jenner looked at me, a tear streaming down his face before he turned abruptly from me and strode away. 

“Vi?” Ricky called out worriedly, “What happens when the power goes out.” 

“When the power runs out…facility wide decontamination will occur.” 

I gasped, jumping back in complete shock and covering my face with my hands.

“Birdie,” Shane called, his hands gripping me tighter.  “Birdie, what is it?” 

“Neutralization.  They’re goin’ into biohazard mode.  They…the building is going to remove the threat of infection!  We need to get out of here!” 

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners.  The original character and plot are the property of the author.  The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family.  When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels?  Will love blossom?  *No evil Shane* 

Warning:  This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations.  Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

Pairing: Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

Chapter Twenty-Six

 

Jenner smiled at Shane as he continued to glower at the old man who had seemed to have a knack for interrupting very personal moments—especially ones shared between—well, whatever Shane and I were now.  Should I call Shane my husband now?  I guess he was.

“We didn’t come here for the eggs.”  Andrea said, looking at Shane with a glare. 

Breathe Birdie, breathe deep.

For some reason not yet known to me, that woman could get under my skin faster than chiggers.  I disliked her before her sister died—but now, the woman was unbearable; constantly demanding, whiny and all around rude.  I wanted to slap the piss out of her—as Grandma Clara would have said. 

Jenner nodded with a pleasant smile and I thought to myself, man this guy would have been good with small children; he’s got more patience than a pre-school teacher. 

Huddled together, we entered another large, empty room that reminded me of what you would see in a dispatch area of Nasa.  Large, theater sized screen stretched along the back way and an array of desks and computers surrounding it. 

Shane stayed tense at my back, his hand gripping my hip.  I could practically feel the negative energy pulsing in this room like bass from a loud-speaker. 

“Give me playback of TS-19,” Jenner commanded of Vi as he entered the room and rested his hip at the edge of one of the desks in the front of the room. 

“Playback of TS-19…”  The computer responded, bringing up the image of what looked like a brain. 

“Aunt Birdie, is that a brain?”  Carl asked as he and Trusty came to stand in front of me and Shane. 

Shane ruffled Carl’s hair affectionately as I chewed on a piece bacon I had stolen out of Carl’s coat pocket—I just knew he was bribing my dog; damn mutt would have to go on the Jenny Graig diet if Carl kept this up. 

“An extraordinary one,” Jenner replied, smiling at Carl and me.  “Not that it matters in the end.”

“Take us in for E.I.V.”  Jenner commanded again and the images of the screen changed to show a more in-depth view of the inside of the brain.  Electric charges…memories…ect. 

“What are those lights?”  Shane asked from behind me, his voice rumbling deep as he rested his chin on the top of my head. 

“It a synapses of the brain.”  I commented lightly, but elaborated when Jenner smiled proudly and nodded at me.  “I…they were testing this type of technology on some of the sick primates I was working with.  It’s basically a person’s life; memories, primal urges, it explains what electric impulses the brain carries to make us unique.” 

“She right,” Jenner said, his smiling face once again returning to the rest of the group.  “It’s everything.  Somewhere in all that organic wiring, in all those ripples of light, is you.  The thing that makes you, unique…human.” 

Shane squeezed my hip and my nephew looked up at me with big eyes and whispered, “Wow, Aunt Birdie, you’re really smart.” 

I hushed him, blushing…because I wasn’t really that smart.  Past what I was looking at, I had no idea what I was talking about…

Daryl shook his head at me and murmured, “Ya’ll don’t make sense…ever.” 

I smiled at him, laughing at his completely perplexed face and whispered.  “Those pretty lights determine everything a person says or does from the moment of birth, right down until the moment they kick the bucket.” 

Shane snorted at my hick speak and I elbowed his stomach.  Asshole. 

“Kick the bucket?”  Rick asked, clearly having picked up on the small conversation I was carrying on with Daryl.  “Death?  Is that what this is, a vigil?” 

Jenner merely nodded his head at my brother.  “Yes, or rather it’s a playback of the vigil.” 

“This person died?”  Andrea asked, looking perturbed.  “Who?” 

What a shitty question to ask.  Like if mattered who it was.  Damn morbid, annoying woman. 

“Test subject 19.” Jenner stated without emotion, but as his eyes found mind they turned sad again.  Holy Shit, please don’t tell him I remind him of this dead person!

“She…It was someone who was bitten and…infected, who volunteered to have us record the process.”  A chill when up my spine as Jenner’s eyes remained locked on mine.  Clearly this person must have meant something more to him than a research subject and it was becoming glaringly obvious that I resembled her. 

“Vi, scan forward to the first event.” 

The screen changed again, this time where there had been a speckling of white lights the brain was completely dark…

“This brain is dying.”  I muttered, fighting back tears. 

“It is,” Jenner agreed, looking to me with wetness shining in his eyes…Oh dear God.

“What is that?”  Glenn asked, pointing at the red lights that seemed to be overtaking the darkened areas of the brain. 

“It invades the brain like meningitis.  The adrenal glands hemorrhage and brain goes into shutdown.  Then death…everything you ever were or ever will be…gone.” 

“Oh my God,” I gasped, hugging Carl tighter to me and Shane did the same for me.  I had no idea how the outbreak started or why, but to see what actually happened to them…it made me hurt for Jim.  Whatever this was, it really did kill you.  Walkers were nothing but an empty shell. 

“Is that what happened to Jim?”  Sophia asked in her soft voice and I covered my face to choke back a sob. 

“Yes,” her mother answered looking distraught, but it was Andrea I worried for.  She looked about two seconds away from breaking completely. 

I truly felt guilty for the thoughts I had about her in the mess hall.  She had lost everything and I still had everything to gain.  I still had my brother, my sister-in-law, my nephew…and I had just gained a husband.  I could only imagine her pain. 

Jenner looked at Andrea as she looked away, brushing her eyes with the back of her hands. 

“She lost someone two days ago.”  Lori told him, looking at Andrea with the same mothering concern she held for her own child—which was funny because Andrea was older than both of us.  “Her sister.” 

Jenner nodded but didn’t comment, only turned to face the screen again and called out, “Scan to second event…the resurrection times vary wildly.  We’ve had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes.  The longest we’ve heard of was eight hours.” 

I leaned back against Shane’s chest; curling my nephew’s face into my side…I didn’t want him to see any more of this.  I didn’t want to see any more of this.

“In the case of this patient,” Jenner continued his voice choking up as he spoke, “it was two hours, one minute and seven seconds.” 

The brain started to show signs of life again, but instead of pulsing white lights or red…it was pink and only showed signs of affecting the bottom of the brain stem. 

“It restarts the brain?”  Lori gasped, tensing up and looking around for her son.  She relaxed slightly when she realized he was fine and huddled up with Shane, Trusty and I. 

“Just the carnal parts of us.”  I replied softly. 

Once again, most of the room looked back at me. 

I shrugged.  “It looks like the brain of your lessor predator…your basic hunting instincts are there; sight, sound and smell…but I’ve seen these shots in certain Indian Tigers and well…something’s missing.”

“Again, you’re right,” Jenner commented.  “Like Miss Grimes—

“Mrs. Walsh.”  Shane interrupted rudely. 

Jesus, this was so not the time for this…  I pinched his thigh and he growled out a warning into my ear. 

Jenner smiled kindly, “Excuse me, Mrs. Walsh.  Many of the impulses that make a predator a predator are missing… this brain cannot sense danger.  It has no self-preserving instincts telling them that a bullet could harm them…it just gets them up and moving.”

“But are they alive?” 

“You tell me,” Jenner said, looking back at my brother. 

“If that’s alive…no thank you,” I thought. 

“It’s nothing like before; most of that brain is dark.” Rick commented.

“The human part, that doesn’t come back, does it?” I asked and Jenner shook his head to the negative. 

“The frontal lobe, the neo-cortex—the you part.  Just a shell driven by mindless instinct.” 

Suddenly a burst of bright light shined through the screen, an object looking like it nearly severed the brain in half. 

“God!  What was that?”  Carol gasped. 

“You shot it in the head,” Andrea commented and Jenner nodded. 

“Vi, power down the main screen and work stations.”  Jenner commanded and instantly everything but the lights above our heads went dark. 

“You have no idea what this is, do you?” 

Chapter Twenty-Five

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners.  The original character and plot are the property of the author.  The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family.  When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels?  Will love blossom?  *No evil Shane* 

Warning:  This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations.  Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

Pairing: Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

Chapter Twenty-Five

 

The loud clinking of silverware and low laughter sounded from the mess hall as Shane and I entered, his arm draped lovingly over my shoulder.  Just as Lori had warned, everyone was already awake—sans Daryl—and gathered around the table, already finished with their breakfast and merely enjoying their coffee and idle chatter.  As Andrea laughed at something Glenn had said, my spirits soared; it seemed everyone—even Andrea—were in relatively happy this morning.  It was a nice change from the glooming cloud of depression that had been hanging over this group for the past couple of days.

“Did you find Birdie and Shane?”  I heard my brother ask—most likely directing the question to his wife. 

She snorted when Shane and I sauntered in, nudging my brother’s side and jutting her chin out to where Shane and I had taken seats a little ways down from them.  Ricky turned his head and his eyes immediately fell on Shane as he sat down to my right, but he said nothing—only groaned.  Poor fella looked like Hell. 

“Sleep well?”  Dale asked, smirking at the smug glowing look on Shane’s face—probably mine as well.

“Fantastic.”  I told him, smiling sweetly. 

Jacqui snorted into her coffee before looking up over her steaming mug and muttering, “When?” 

Lori snorted loudly and caught my eye as my poor, hung-over brother looked to Shane with blurry eyes and groaned.  “Do you feel as bad as I do?”  He asked, whimpering like a baby and holding a frozen bag of unnamed vegetables firmly over his forehead. 

Shane smiled at this, his hand slipping under the table to caress my leg, knee to hip.  “Nope,” he replied with a slight chuckle, exaggerating the “P”, “Not even close.  In fact, I feel pretty damn good this mornin’.”  

Lori barked out a laugh, using her napkin to muffle the sound as she muttered, “I bet you do.”  Apparently, because my brother is like me—blind and all that—he totally missed the blatant innuendo Lori just spelled out for him.  Instead, he turned his eyes to Shane.

“Why’d you let me drink so much?”  My brother whined, apparently blaming Shane for his aching head and rolling stomach. 

I shook my head at him.  “Oh no, brother, you can’t go blaming Shane for this one.  This was all you, Daryl and Glenn.  That bottle of Soco doesn’t seem so appealing now, does it?” 

Ricky groaned, turning a little green and Glenn’s head popped up at the sound of his name and looked at me questioningly.  “Did I do anything stupid?” 

Shane chuckled, clearly having remembered what I’d told him last night.  “Not unless you think callin’ another man’s woman “pretty” is stupid.” 

Glenn’s eyes widened adorably and he buried his face into his palms.  “I didn’t?”  Poor thing sounded so hopeful.  Like maybe I wouldn’t call him out on his drunken idiocies…ha!  You play, you pay…that’s the Grimes family way. 

“Don’t be too hard on yourself Glenn; you didn’t call me pretty…”

He looked up at me; hope blooming in his eyes, well, before I crushed that…

“You just happened to tell my brother I was pretty with Daryl sitting there.” 

He groaned louder as the rest of the table laughed.  “In front of Daryl?”  He cried. 

I giggled at him and his flushed face, glad that for once, I wasn’t the one blushing.  “Like I said, don’t feel too bad, Daryl’s the one who called me hot.” 

My brother smiled as he caught Shane’s glower, however T-dog also caught the large scratches adorning Shane’s neck this morning as he came around offering us a scoop of scrambled eggs. 

Thank God I have long hair.

“What happened to you?”  T-dog asked his voice cracking comically as he smirked and looked Shane over with mock concern. 

Every face but my brother’s immediately jerked up to look at me and grinned.  My cheeks flamed under their scrutiny and I tucked my face into Shane’s chest, pinching his side, telling him without words that he better keep what really happened to himself. 

“Must’a done it my sleep,” Shane lied easily, removing my fingers and getting up to pour both of us a cup of coffee.  His eyes darted towards mine from the coffee pot, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as he tried to hold a straight face. 

My eyes darted back to Rick, hoping that he’d buy the lie and almost choked at the funny way his face screwed up in concentration from under his head compress. 

“That’s not like you,” Rick commented, not even an inkling of comprehension blooming on his face. 

I ducked my head to hide behind my hair, praying to God that I didn’t laugh and give it away.  But that got much harder when Shane sat back down, nudging me with his elbow and handing me my cup of coffee as he spoke.  “No, that’s not somethin’ I’d do at all.” 

T-dog and Jacqui—whose room for the night was directly across the hall from ours—started laughing, loudly, while Dale, Andrea and Lori started tittering behind their hands.  My face flamed hotter as each of them either winked or made a funny face at me…Thank the God’s Glenn and Carol were too messed up to remember last night. 

But it was Daryl’s entrance that finally let the cat out of the bag.  It only took seconds after he swaggered in for him to notice Shane’s new battle scars and he immediately commented, and commented loudly I might add. 

“Damn girl, what ya do to’em?”  He said, squeezing my shoulder as he passed.  “Hey Chinaman, how’s the head?”

Glenn just groaned and muttered something about “never drinking again” but Rick’s eyes went wide and darted between Shane and I for a second before a cocky grin appeared on his face.  The bastard was really gonna give me hell about this. 

Trying to hide my blushing face, I reached forward for my juice glass.  Lori’s fork clattered loudly to her plate and she started choking hard.  Afraid for her wellbeing—Rick darted up and started smacking her back, but Lori was hitting his arm and pointing to…me? 

What the Hell?

“Is that…” she gasped.  “Is that…” she started again, but kept choking.  Fed up with Rick’s attempts to find out what was wrong with her, she stood up and leaned directly over the table to grasp…my left hand.  “Is that…?”

Rick’s eyes finally followed what Lori was pointing out and his eyes got as big as saucers.  “You got engaged!”  He stated loudly and once again, ever eye turned to me. 

Shane smiled warmly as he threw his left arm over my shoulder.  Rick’s zeroed in on the ring also adorning Shane’s left hand and he spluttered.  “You-you got married?!” 

“We’re together, if that’s what ya mean.”  Shane said, tugging me a little closer. 

“It’s not like there’s a minster here to do the actual ceremony or anything,” I told him, defending our union to anyone who wouldn’t understand.  “Besides, you know how I feel about weddings.” 

Lori—having finally gotten herself under control—smiled and nodded in agreement.  Everyone else just cheered in happiness—except for Daryl who growled and turned his head away—and Andrea who scoffed.  Why was she such a bitch?

“We should do something tonight,” Dale commented, “to celebrate.” 

Most hummed in agreement but I could see the anger growing in Andrea’s face…if she wanted to start something…

“Good morning,” Jenner greeted as he made his way to the coffee pot. 

Everyone hummed their hellos but Dale piped up, “I’d hate to bombard you first thing in the morning—

“But you will.”  Shane finished and I smiled at the familiar comment.  Was it really just a few days ago that we had found each other again?  I guess it was, but with all the chaos…it felt like a lifetime ago.